


The "Hows" and "Whys" of Friendship

by generic



Category: Thrilling Intent (Web Series)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 19:55:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13724841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/generic/pseuds/generic
Summary: Just some late night contemplations between friends.





	The "Hows" and "Whys" of Friendship

Inien sighed in the empty bar, wiping that last table clean. It had been a fucking _day_ , but she stretched, threw the rag on the counter, and checked the final item off her mental to-do list before she could make her way back to her bed.  


The door creaked precariously when she shoved it open, and she glared back, warning off any fool ideas about falling off or causing trouble that would make her stay later than she already had. The door stayed put.  


Even only half-lit by the moon, Inien navigated the uneven path without trouble, more familiar with this ramshackle place than she would ever admit to being. It was only her familiarity that let her pick out a dark, incongruous shape out of the corner of her eye. Inien whirled around, curse half-formed in her mouth, spell half-formed in her hand to face against-  


Colvin.  


Inien let out a long, controlled breath. She allowed the moment of anxiety to dissipate. Debated for a moment. And walked over to where he was lying on the ground, prone and unmoving. Were it anyone else, she might be worried, but let’s be real. As it was, she simply nudged his side with the toe of her boot.  


“Colvin," her voice unceremoniously broke the steady silence of the night. "Hey, what’s up? What are you doing?”  


He stared past her quietly. Inien rocked back on her heels and pursed her lips, waiting. Eventually he raised an arm to point upward.  


She glanced up. A half moon, some stars, and a few wispy clouds drifting by; nothing in particular.  


“ _Colvin._ C’mon, you can’t stay out here all night.”  


He shook his head and pointed upward again, more forcefully this time.  


Inien weighed her options. He _would_ be there all night if he didn't move now. Which in itself wouldn't be much of a problem but... 

... 

She rolled her eyes at herself. It was really too late, too cold for her to be staying out here in her t-shirt, but she spared one last thought toward her bed before lying down next to her friend.  


He got like this sometimes. And try as she might, Inien didn’t really get it. Inien had always been a “how” person, or perhaps “what.” She could tell you how to perform a perfect incantation, or what the capitals of the countries were – complete, discrete answers to have and to use – but for Colvin, it was always “why.”  


_Why?_  


Colvin always seemed so _big,_ so _much._ She couldn’t tell you anyone who had a bigger voice, or bigger opinions, or a bigger well of strength, or a bigger, denser head. Colvin did things that, frankly, shook her faith in her knowledge of the universe sometimes, and he's unphased. But in the face of his vast, unknowable _“whys”_ , he was small. Insignificant. Smaller, certainly, than Inien had ever let herself feel in her world of checklists and schedules and bills, and of the two, Inien sometimes wasn’t sure who she should pity.  


She felt a shiver up her body while she watched the cold, distant stars and turned her eyes to Colvin, still transfixed by the sky. He had the same small frown on the corners of his mouth as that scrappy little kid she met all those years ago, who couldn’t understand why the other kids kept pushing and teasing. But this time, there wasn’t a “what” for Inien to follow, no bullies to fight, no way to help except be here.  


Inien finally reached over the grass and tapped his wrist twice, right over his pulse. She waited a beat, and then Colvin blinked once, slowly, and accepted the offered hand. She pulled him up to a sitting position, and then onto his feet, and then back toward the path; all the while Colvin kept a tight hold on Inien’s hand, like he was worried about drifting away without her.  


So sure, maybe there wasn’t a very clear answer for what to do, but luckily, Colvin didn’t care too much about that. At least this time, the why was present and clear.

**Author's Note:**

> so this idea came into my head literally 2 seconds after I left for class so I had to sit on it for about 5 hours  
> but yeah, just appreciating that Inien cares about her big dumb friend and his big dumb problems  
> thank yall for reading


End file.
